GENESEO,
N.Y. — Arun Gandhi, grandson of legendary peace fighter and spiritual
leader Mohandas K. "Mahatma" Gandhi, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in
the MacVittie College Union Ballroom at the State University of New York at
Geneseo. The talk is free and open to the public.

Arun Gandhi, who has committed his life to teaching others
the understanding of nonviolence philosophy, will deliver a talk titled
"Nonviolence or Nonexistence: Options for the 21st Century." He will talk about
his life, including his 18-month stay with his grandfather in India during
British rule. Growing up in apartheid South Africa as a person of Indian
heritage meant racial confrontations with both blacks and whites. As a young
boy, Arun Gandhi was beaten up by black youths for not being black and by white
youths because he was not white. Filled with rage and plotting to avenge his
beatings, he subscribed to Charles Atlas' bodybuilding magazines so he would
have the strength to fight back. When his parents discovered the reason for
their 12-year-old son's sudden fascination with exercise, they decided a visit
to his grandfather in India was in order.

What followed was an 18-month stay with one of the world's
great leaders that would give him the keys to the powerful philosophy of
nonviolence, and help shape the foundation for his life's work. It was a
dangerous and exciting time, as Mahatma Gandhi was leading the people of India
in their revolutionary, nonviolent struggle for independence from British rule.

After leading successful projects for economic and social
reform in India, Arun Gandhi came to the United States in 1988 to complete
research for a comparative study on racism in America. In 1991, he and his
wife, Sunanda, founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, headquartered
at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. The Institute's mission is
to foster understanding of nonviolence and to put that philosophy to practical
use through workshops, lectures and community outreach programs. His talents have
brought him before governmental, social and educational audiences in numerous
countries, including Croatia, France, Ireland, Holland, Lithuania and
Nicaragua.

His visit is sponsored by the Student Association's
Activities Commission.